Book picks similar to
The Red Room by M.S. Morris
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thriller
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domestic-psychological-thriller
Little Girl Lost
J.S. Marciano - 2016
The press immediately turn on the family, blaming the parents for the young girl’s disappearance. Time passes and everyone begins to lose hope. But when a girl is found wandering the streets of Portugal alone, she is returned to her family and the case closed. Yet something is not right. And as little Rosemary Cathcart grows up, and her parent’s divorce, that feeling never really leaves her. Years later, after finding her boyfriend has been cheating on her, Rosemary flees to her brother’s home, where she quickly wears out her welcome. When her mother arrives and asks her to move in with her and her new husband, Rosemary decides to go to Jersey and work at her father’s hotel. But when she arrives she learns the hotel is close to bankruptcy and her father on his death bed with cancer. Before he dies, he has secrets to tell that will change her world, and the world of everyone around her, forever. And it would seem that Rosemary Cathcart, once a Little Girl Lost, is still yet to be found…. Full of dark secrets and mysterious twists and turns, Little Girl Lost is a must read thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. J. S. Marciano works in a London-based global organisation as a Credit Controller. Although she once dreamed of becoming a singer/actress, she began writing at an early age, and published her first short stories in the London Mystery Magazine and the London Evening News. Jane lives in North West London with her husband of forty years, and enjoys being a grandmother.
Dead Girls Can't Lie
Carys Jones - 2017
Kelly had everything to live for – a loving boyfriend, a happy life, and most importantly of all, Kelly would never leave North all by herself.The girls have been friends since childhood, devoted to each other, soul sisters, or at least that's what North has always believed. But did Kelly feel the same way, or was she keeping secrets from her 'best friend' – deadly secrets...When the police refuse to take North's suspicions seriously, she sets out to investigate for herself. But her search soon takes her to a glamorous world with a seedy underbelly, and before long North is out of her depth and getting ever closer to danger. Determined to find the truth, she soon wishes that dead girls could lie, because the truth is too painful to believe...
And Then You Were Gone
R.J. Jacobs - 2019
Even better, her life is coming together: she’s got a great job, her own place, and a boyfriend, Paolo, who adores her. So when Paolo suggests a weekend sailing trip, Emily agrees—wine, water, and the man she loves? What could be better? But when Emily wakes the morning after they set sail, the boat is still adrift…and Paolo is gone.A strong swimmer, there’s no way Paolo drowned, but Emily is at a loss for any other explanation. Where else could he have gone? And why? As the hours and days pass by, each moment marking Paolo’s disappearance, Emily’s hard-won stability begins to slip.But when Emily uncovers evidence suggesting Paolo was murdered, the investigation throws her mania into overdrive, even as she becomes a person of interest in her own personal tragedy. To clear her name, Emily must find the truth—but can she hold onto her own sanity in the process?
The Silenced Wife
Collette Heather - 2018
Alone, that is, until the devilishly handsome surgeon, Aaron Bailey comes into her life. Like her, he is a widower, a heart-broken man in need of a good woman's love and attention.When something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Joyce quickly finds herself trapped in an abusive marriage with someone that is more monster than man.Yet nothing about their marriage is as it first appears. Both of them harbour secrets - but the question is, will either of them live to tell? Joyce will do anything at any cost to protect her daughter, and Aaron will stop at nothing to protect Joyce in the only way he knows how...
Her Eyes Underwater: A True-Crime Inspired Romantic Thriller
Romona Simon - 2020
One evening, restless university student Julia Strauss meets the captivating Alex Bowman and finds him irresistible. He is handsome, polite, and mysterious. If someone seems too good to be true ... This is a romantic suspense novel inspired by true events. The hero is Mr. Perfect when he is with the heroine. However, this cultivated persona melts away to reveal something frightening and unforgiving when they’re apart. Will Julia be able to see beyond the haze of her infatuation before it's too late?
Only You
Cathryn Grant - 2021
But now it's found her.Hadley is one of those rare people who feels she's living the perfect life. She has a husband she loves, a charming daughter, and a job that is deeply fulfilling. Sometimes it almost seems like a fairytale.Then, little by little, things start to go wrong. There's the creepy guy from down the street who keeps staring at her teenage daughter, there's the strangely needy woman who moves in next door…Just little wrinkles, but then Hadley's world is turned upside down when someone close to her is murdered. And Hadley begins to suspect that the killing is linked to something from her own past. A terrible secret she has never shared with anyone…As she digs deeper, Hadley realises there is someone out there who knows what she did, someone who is planning to take her perfect life - and turn it into a perfect nightmare.
The Affair: Escape to Lake Como this summer
Hilary Boyd - 2021
Forty years on they are the couple their whole village envies. Life isn't quite so rosy just now with Devan struggling to adjust to early retirement, but Connie hopes that getting away for a few weeks through her job as a European tour manager will help. But on one of her favourite tours, to Lake Como, it is clear one of her guests is falling for her. She resists, but Jared somehow gets under her skin, until she's intoxicated and doing the unthinkable: breaking the marriage vows she's always held so dear. But she tells herself the affair is not serious, it will end when the season does. And Devan will never find out. But when Connie returns home, Jared follows. He isn't going to give her up so easily. And as he grows ever more embroiled in her life, Connie begins to wonder if more than her marriage is in danger . . .
Praise for Hilary Boyd
'Boyd is as canny as Joanna Trollope at observing family life - and better than Trollope at jokes' Daily Mail'Poignant, well observed and wonderfully written, this is a bit of a heart-string puller' Closer'I was ripping through this book . . . addictive' Evening Standard
Double Deceit
Julienne Brouwers - 2019
Her world explodes when her husband is found dead at a holiday park during a weekend getaway. Convinced that the police have failed in their investigation, she embarks on a desperate quest for the truth - but the deeper she digs, the more she gets enmeshed in a tangled web of lies, spun by a ruthless law firm.As Jennifer's search for answers intensifies, her grip on reality weakens. Barely able to manage her patients at the health clinic, or take care of her young son, Jennifer is at risk of losing it all – even her closest friends begin to desert her. And then a chance encounter with a charming stranger sparks a new chain of events that plunges her deeper into a world of threats and corruption. Soon, she begins to fear for her life - but who can she trust, and how far will she go in pursuit of the truth?This is a gripping, addictive thriller for fans of Angela Clarke, Mel Sherratt and Rachel Lynch, that will make you question everything, including the flaws of forensics. Could we all be framed for a murder we didn’t commit?What readers are saying about Double Deceit' Double Deceit was one hell of a book, the author has done an impeccable job in crafting out a plot packed with little packets of surprises all the way through''A really entertaining 'who dunnit' that kept me guessing... a thriller at heart, with many twists and turns, but there's a wonderful element of romance, and a deeper message touching on the transient nature of life. Definitely worth a read!''A terrific thriller that reminds of John Grisham’s novels, perfect from start to finish''Loved the well fleshed out characters, great suspense and action with wonderful world building.''Overall, a fantastic, totally absorbing, razor-sharp, mystery-thriller that I recommend very highly.''What a gripping book!! The writer wrote this very cleverly that you were drawn and investigating alongside Jennifer!!!''This thriller had me sucked in by the first chapter, it’s filled with twists and turns and kept me on the edge of my seat.''Double Deceit was a wild wild ride!''This book is a lot like Girl On The Train and A Stranger In The House!'
Little Bones
N.V. Peacock - 2020
I became Cherrie. When I was a child, they called me Little Bones…My father was Mr Bones – the notorious serial killer of 25 years ago.As a child I witnessed his crimes.Everything is different now. I have a new identity. I’m a mother. I am finally free.Until that podcast. I should never have listened.They’re linking a recent disappearance to the crimes of the past.They know who I am. They’re calling me Little Bones again.They say I’m a villain but I’m not. I’m a victim.You believe me, don’t you?
After All I've Done
Mina Hardy - 2020
As if that's not enough, she's started having recurring nightmares about the night of the accident. Dreams that feel so real, she's left questioning: maybe she didn't just slide off the road into a ditch. Maybe, just maybe, she hit something. Or someone.She can't turn to her former best friend Val, who's been sleeping with Diana's husband Jonathan for months, but she might find some comfort in newcomer Cole Pelham. Yet the closer they become, the more Diana begins to wonder what really happened that night--and how Cole might be connected. Worse, it seems everyone else could be involved, too.Who was with her that night? What really happened? As her life unravels thread by thread and the dreams become too real to ignore, Diana will have to face the unthinkable--and do the unforgivable.
The Guilty Mother
Diane Jeffrey - 2019
But, in the blink of an eye, her perfect life became a nightmare – when she found herself on trial for the murder of her little girls. PRESENT DAYJonathan Hunt covered the original Slade Babies' case for the local newspaper. Now that new evidence has come to light, Jon's boss wants him back on the story to uncover the truth.With Melissa's appeal date looming, time is running out. And, as Jon gets drawn deeper into a case he’d wanted to forget, he starts to question Melissa's guilt.Is Melissa manipulating Jon or telling him the truth? Is she a murderer, or the victim of a miscarriage of justice?And if Melissa Slade is innocent, what really happened to Ellie and Amber Slade?
What I Did For Love
Mickey J. Corrigan - 2019
He is attractive, intelligent, and exceedingly wealthy, everything an unmarried middle-aged woman would normally find appealing. But O’Hale is not your average forty-something. She's a wild card who has a crush on the man's teenage son.As the relationship between O’Hale and the man blossoms, she finds herself juggling father and son while battling the true source of her lust and forbidden love.So when the father proposes, O’Hale has a choice to make. Love or crime?And when her decision is made, the consequences might just be deadly…
The Interview
Gill Perdue
A missing man. A coded fairy tale. Detective Laura Shaw seems to have it all: a supportive husband, a happy two-year-old and a great career. She is her team's top victim interviewer, a genius at getting vulnerable people to open up.That's until she meets Jenny - a 14-year-old assault victim who talks only in fairy tales. Jenny's stepfather is missing and the blood on her clothes isn't her own, so Laura's colleagues need answers fast.But Laura's strange behaviour makes the girl shut down even more, leaving her bewildered partner, Niamh, desperately trying to rescue the situation.It seems that this case has triggered something deep within Laura, and Jenny is not the only one with secrets. As the clock ticks down, Laura teeters on the brink of disaster, grappling with the biggest question of all:
Is every life worth saving?
Whickering Place
London Clarke - 2019
A violent attack that happened nearly a decade ago has left twenty-seven-year-old Avery Tullinger barely able to walk outside. Following her estranged father’s death, she inherits Whickering Place, a historic mansion in Asheville, North Carolina, currently occupied by two tenants: Colin Gallagher, a young doctor, and his mysterious brother, Pearse. Soon after moving in, Avery learns that her father’s life in the house was consumed by the supernatural … and the activity appears to be starting again. As paranormal events within the house escalate, so does Avery’s attraction for Pearse, even though Colin warns her that his younger brother is involved in a dangerous cult called The Colony. Faced with losing Whickering Place, her heart, and even her life, Avery is forced to make unimaginable choices. And as Whickering Place becomes the focal point for The Colony’s bloody rituals, the house’s dark history threatens to repeat itself. At turns a novel of terror and a story of love, Whickering Place is a paranormal thriller of nonstop suspense about the risks of living and loving outside safe boundaries and the relationships that change, motivate, and sustain us.